The moment we believe the answers are no longer inside ourselves, waiting without trickery to be uncovered by reflection, meditation, and practice, we are separated from the truth. We become ungrounded by fear and start to look outside and grasp for answers away from our reach.
Self-doubt is a part of most everyone's life at some point. When we forget that we are powerful, loving beings, full of potential and endless possibilities, we are subject to fall into the traps of teachings that convince us that we are unworthy, unholy, and small. Finding the answers in something outside of our selves can feel more secure, especially when lots of other people are doing it. Most of us are taught faith when we are young. We are given a set of rules and behaviors to live by "or else" bad things will happen and there will be no eternal salvation. Religion takes the trust away from the individual and replaces it with an insurance plan for eternal salvation paid off over a lifetime with rules and fear. Is going to a building once a week to be guided to a connection with God useful or destructive? Why can't we plug into divinity each moment without the help of an institution? Feeling and intuition can guide us through a very grounded and real spiritual path.
Religion has the potential to bring people together, provide comfort, and turn people's attention to good things. Religions also have the power to crush the human will, making a person dependent on rules and behavior for approval, acceptance, and salvation. A good friend of mine was sharing with me how upset she was over her boyfriend of several years breaking their relationship off. His religious and cultural values led him to put down all the extroverted professional on-goings my friend was experiencing, and made her feel bad about gaining success and attention for her performing career. When it came down to the root of their issue, his religion and values taught him to believe that performing on stage, and any act of expressing one's talent and passion outwardly is turning away from God.
This sounds more like fear than spirituality. It makes sense that full expression of our gifts in a celebration of joy and love leans more to the union of the Self with God. When we acknowledge and celebrate that divinity is in everyone, our fears have the capacity to fade. Realizing this ultimate truth, whether practiced in singing, yoga, gardening, running, or walking, is a strong foundation for spirituality.
While my friend's case is extreme, religions have contributed to a decline in our mental and physical health. Think back to a joyful childhood moment where you were running around, having a blast, full of uncensored, joyful expression. You weren't worried about rules yet, although we are trained from birth how to act to get love and attention. Playful kids are full of joy, vitality and health. The body and the mind are the same. Kids don't worry about how many grams of protein are in their dinner, or how many calories they are burning running around having fun. They are living in the moment and somehow they find their way naturally to consuming and burning what their bodies need, resting when they are tired, and waking up fresh when they've had enough sleep.
We can also find and trust our own intuitions, and live in the moment as adults. We probably have more responsibilities than when we were 5, and we have to make our own meals. But we can figure it out.
People follow rules for 2 reasons: 1. It makes sense to follow that rule. Traffic signals are a good example. 2. Fear. We're taught our whole life what we need to do and what we're not allowed to do. Some rules are useful and some are silly. It's not useful if someone tells you which rules to follow and which to break. Our own work is in following a practice that helps us center, ground, and connect to some harmony with nature, the divine, and of course ourselves. At that point, we already know what we need to follow and what to let go.
After reading through Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food several times, what crept up and shocked me wasn't as much the outcome - an ongoing horrific state of health in America. It's that on the whole, we've completely lost touch with our awareness. We put all our faith in scientific studies that continue to contradict each other, and marketing that keeps us constantly switching directions. We have been trained to trust the "experts" without thought or question, and welcomed the glazed-over convenience of it all. We waited for someone to tell us what to eat, and we believed them when they told us we could eat a whole box of SnackWells cookies because they are "fat free."
Religion doesn't have to get in the way of trusting our own feelings, but it has that capacity if we let it. Similarly, we don't need to let scientific studies get in the way of our own common sense. Looking at the history of science (or religion for that matter), it's kind of amusing how seriously we sometimes take all the latest proclamations of "Now we have the truth so come and get it!" We already have our own sense, our own intuition, our own truths. We have a great need all around us now to work on our health. The exciting part is we can choose to put in the work to ground our selves, take a closer look at our behaviors and psychology, find our own answers, and use our knowledge and compassion to help others. We're already living in the Matrix, or Stepford (pick your favorite flick), and it's time to unplug. Excitingly enough, it's never too late to change, to inspire, to love, and to eat something green.
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Having come from a very conservative Christian background, I have been on both sides of this debate. I know first hand how liberating it is to look within for answers first - to trust our own inner guidance -- to know that the same source that supposedly guides those who govern their flocks is available to each of us individually.
I'm sure that religion aides in the ruining of mental and physical health.
What is more important (imo) however, is that religion is ruining our world.
Nothing like some bigotry, violence and the propagation of ignorance to make the world a better
place. It would behoove this planet, and it's occupants, if we did away with these violent fear-mongers' way of operating. I had someone (at WORK no less) tell me that 95% of the world's population believes in a god...in one form or another.... I (being an agnostic) could not resist the opportunity to inform that gentleman that..."95% of the world used to think that the world was flat too......but you don't see anyone running around spewing that nonsense NOW do you?"
A great many fundamentalists are certain that the end of the world is going to happen soon. A surprising number of evangelical preachers argue that it's not really necessary to take care of the environment because Earth is disposable, and we will be getting rid of it soon.
I know it sounds goofy, but large numbers of people who oppose things like global warming or environmental regulations base their opposition on this religious principle. In my view, being so out-of-sync with the natural world is fundamentally unhealthy.
Of course, all this opposition provides an additional layer of challenge to those of us who want to take better care of the planet.
Thanks again for posting such a thought-provoking column, Ms. Stiles.
Religion is merely a tool for justification.
Has the author of this article actually READ scientific histories? Because it certainly doesn't sound like it. Science has ALWAYS been: what we know know to be true right now...a scientific explanation is simply the explanation for which there is the most corroberating evidence. The whole point of science is that it's NOT religion, it DOESN'T give us absolute truths, because it is fluid, and any scientific theory is only the theory that provides the best explanation at the time.
Religion will always trump science in terms of popularity for a simple reason: It claims to have all the answers, and those answers never change. Whereas science has the disadvantage of honesty. Scientists know enough to know they don't know much at all. And even the little bit that they DO know (but which, again, is only what we know to be true at the present moment) takes a huge amount of time, coupled with failure, to reach that conclusion. ALso, when scientists realize they are wrong about something, they SAY they are wrong, whereas religious leaders will never admit being wrong. And so then the religious look more capable than the scientists, because while science is constantly expanding it's knowledge base due to new discoveries, technologies, etc, religion is completely static.
Too bad this very exalted framework so often morphs into political intolerance, and becomes the basis of zealotry. This is the basis of all the Fundamentalism we see today.
You argue that one needs to be in shape to be in the discipline of religion. Sort of a Catch 22, isn't it? Most people aren't disciplined. A few are, but they would be good arranging their lives in other ways if religion were not available to them.
I have had huge, life-altering spiritual experiences. NOT ONE OF THEM left me with any "discipline" I could apply myself too. In fact, I got the exact opposite insight: these experiences were a different consciousness altogether from this one and they CAN NOT be accessed by will/discipline.
There are several forms of spiritual paths. Bhakti, or devotion/love, is one that is the New Age favorite. I have found that any form of worship is a crutch and takes one away from the Self. All Yogas or "paths" are great "make busy" work. Ultimately it's about you living your life -- the one unique, truly ineffable, reality.
Religion is a business, the world's best business (think the Pope and Catholic Church). Religion has its charlatans (the tele-evangelicals and the like), its deviants (the private club's - no names mentioned here), its loonies (the UN and the governments of different countries) and mass hysteria (by citizens).
Religion was man-made, not by God. God spelt backwards = Dog. Live spelt backwards = Evil. Lived spelt backwards = Devil. Obama spelt backwards = Amabo but with the conation of like amoeba (ameba). This place, i.e. the Earth is not the World. It is just another planet in the Universe. So, get real folks. There is no man-in the-moon (looks like it though from down here) and the Bible is the world's best selling novel... OK a novel.
Whatever / whoever the Almighty is... He probably asks himself "why do these nutters build edifices in my name, when it clearly states in the Bible that one can worship anywhere to get their soul-searching".? But you see, God is not a businessman and was not the author of the world's best novel!!! Think about it... if you can do that?
The worst case scenario is letting the pharms, and health care providers run wild greed is the nasty nature of the human being and shouldn’t apply when it comes to your well being and health.
We should be able to all agree we want the best for our children and ourselves this not political this is america our country with many ideas and views but we need continuity for all.
Everyone must follow their own path. Not everyone need know or acknowledge this existence to be watched and loved by Christ. It's not always up to us, sometimes it's his decision on his time frame. I'm confident if you look for him, you'll find him if you want too.
I don't go to church and I don't believe 80% of whats written. I piece together things from different faiths and choose the guidelines I think fits my experience. I occassionally pray but mostly when I'm facing a horrible problem. So far he's answered every single one. Not on my time frame but his.
That's my story, my source of faith. I'm not religious, and I think people use religion for mortal evil purposes. But if you learn and look, you'll find and when you do, the falseness of those who sell religion wrongly will be glaringly apparent to you.
The end Part V
I don't practice religion and never have and I was taught adamantly by my mother to make up your own mind and to learn. I did both and chose not to pursue any faith and went about questioning faith collectively quietly throughout my life. Until I was 40. I acknowledged something that happened to me when I was 26 and in the Navy.
I'll share it, it's a long story so bear with me -
Part 1
I think your saying people who follow religion as a set of rules not an way to get in touch with god to improve yourself. The people who just follow the rules and are not spiritual.
I never felt Anti Religion because Religion was never forced on me.
I am always interested in getting peace from god on my own.
I think it's more then following rules. I don't follow any rules really.
You must of had a bad time at church.
I don't really go to church , but church and church rules have nothing to do with god.
They were made up by humans.
The best way to find god is at home in a quiet place.
This post really makes no sense, your an atheist ??
Thats not the best way to argue against religion.
I don't know what the point of this post was
There are only two functions that humans can do that no other animal can. (I will give animals speech.)
1. Writing.
2. Worshiping.
Seems that these two functions have to do with the ultra form of reflexive consciousness we have. It is ironic that the predominant religions on the planet now -- the Monotheisms -- are based on "The Book." Islam is certainly a "book" religion. The other major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, have their vital sacred texts as well.
This form of religion had its roots in the rise of civilization itself, and even though I agree with every single one of the blogger's sentiments, I also know that eradicating religion's influence and effects ain't ever going to happen. We thought religion and its discontents was on its way out several decades ago. I'll never be so naive again.
What will disabuse the civilized human from the tyranny of religion is the same thing that will liberate us from the tyranny of civilization itself -- like we'll ever want to do that. We've made our bed and we will continue to lie in it.
Religion doesn't create fear, it displaces it. We aren't pure beautiful creatures in truth, we are whole beings reflecting all that is in the universe. We have fear. Children rely on their parents to allay their fears. The blogger forgets this. When we grow up we seek some sort of structure that can control our fears and establish security -- some people more than others. But this is a bargain with the devil, since our fears are just displaced from those close to us and projected onto those who are not.
Why don't we see that and throw the whole thing over? Maybe subconsciously we know there really isn't a better deal. Maybe subconsciously we know we're not naturally so lovable but we still want to hear that we are. Whatever the reason is, don't expect this choice to fade away any time soon.